Tensile and Thickness Swelling Properties of Strands from Southern Hardwoods and Southern Pine: Effect of Hot-Pressing and Resin Application‪.‬

Abstract Tensile and the moisture-induced thickness swelling properties of wood strands are among the most fundamental parameters in modeling and predicting engineering constants of strand-based composites such as oriented strandboard (OSB). The effects of hot-pressing and resin-curing on individual strand properties were investigated in this study. Strands from four Louisiana-grown species--willow (Salix spp.), yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L), red oak (Quercus spp.) and southern yellow pine (Pinus taeda L.)--were tested. It was found that the properties of strands were different from the various wood species and that hot pressing and resin-curing significantly modified the strand properties. This indicated that an adjustment of strand mechanical and swelling properties from the solid wood values is necessary for better prediction of engineering constants of strand composites. Among the four species tested, yellow-poplar strands demonstrated the best initial and postprocessing tensile and thickness swelling properties. The willow strands were initially inferior but showed significant improvements in their properties after hot pressing and resin-curing. This indicated that willow, a low-density and low-strength species, could be used as a good supplement material for OSB furnish.